(SOLD) Yamaha SA1200S Semi Hollow Brown Sunburst 1979
Yamaha SA-1200s semi hollow, brown sunburst, made in Japan in 1979. Oh boy, this is nice! The 'Super Axe' series were Yamaha's twist on the classic ES335. The most iconic model in the range is the SA2000; this little stunner is the same in most ways, save for a bit of bling and a solid spruce top. The spruce top adds a whole heap of warmth, complexity and body to the tone; it's quite a sonic experience. The pickups are sweet and articulate; there's enough sparkle to cut through a mix balanced by a lovely openness and a juicy thick low end. The neck moderate in profile and comfortable in the hands; it translates your ruminations across to the resonant body perfectly. The sunburst finish is showing plenty of signs of aging, including some of the common Yamaha 'clouding' around the outside edges. There's certainly no doubt it's an old guitar; it radiates a certain dapper confidence in all aspects. Apparently there's only 800 of these ever made, so they're a pretty safe bet to appreciate gradually over the coming years. In a word: classy.
Model: Yamaha SA1200S
Made: Japan, 1979 (best estimate on serial and catalog, serial 002224)
Finish: brown sunburst gloss over spruce/maple
Body: solid spruce top, laminate maple back and sides, semi-hollow with center block, thinline
Neck: maple, rosewood fretboard, moderately slim profile
Weight: 3.850kg
Mods: none
Pickups: original Yamaha humbuckers, coil-splittable
Case: very basic non-original gig bag
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. Headstock has some chips and marks on the end, as well as some dimples on the back and arouns the truss rod cover and some 'clouding' of the black cap on the front. Neck feels clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples on the back only, as well as some minor clouding. The back is pretty clean, just some minor dimples, scuffs and clouding around the outside. The sides have no major nasty marks, but there's some clouding on both horns, and some light scratches, scuffs and dimples extending from the shoulder around the back to the knobs. The front is pretty clean, just some minor marks on the both horns, shoulder, behind the bridge and near the knobs. There's some clouding of the lacquer around the edge too. Overall: good condition (7/10).
Playing condition notes: Neck is straight, intonation is good, action is low, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Frets have some wear but are in pretty good shape, 7/10. Setup with fresh 11/49 Moonshiners Strings.